Tunisia’s big moment in the world spotlight

It may seem a bit self-evident to say so, but it’s hard to overstate the potential importance of the elections held in Tunisia over the weekend.

Tunisians set off the Arab Spring, with the least violent, and to date most successful elimination of a repressive government. They are the first to hold an election, the first ever democratic election in the country. With counting still underway, optimism remains that the result could be a relatively moderate government, including but not dominated by Islam.

“I don’t expect our revolution to become an Islamic Revolution but, at the same time, I expect Islam to be a part of Tunisian life, the way you could see it in Turkey,” a Tunisian observer told Al Jazeera.

A stable, fair, democratically elected government that accurately reflects the will of the Tunisian people would be a considerable achievement, and an immense force for change throughout the region. Egypt’s subsequent revolution remains a work in progress. The end could still prove to be a military-dominated government that was little more than the Mubarak regime without Hosni Mubarak. Or religious extremism could fill a void created by the failure to produce real reform. In Libya, the death of Muammar Gaddafi and determination of the transitional government to built a moderate successor offers great hope, but Libya is a country of clans and tribes, and Libyans are still too busy gawking at the corpse of the dictator to know what to do next.

So Tunisia has a unique moment to inspire change far greater than its size and prominence in the world. Nothing would be more likely to produce the final fall of Bashar Assad’s despotic, corrupt and murderous regime in Syria than proof in Tunisia that the Middle East can do democracy as well as repression. And no one should kid themselves that the Mullahs in Iran retain power through the overwhelming support of ordinary Iranians.

Success in Tunisia could have more impact than all the brave statements in the West or the firepower that brought down Gaddafi. That’s what makes democracy so powerful, and why so many people are still willing to sacrifice so much to get it.

In the wake of a Grammy Awards ceremony that disappointed many, from Kanye West to the masses on Twitter lamenting the state of pop music, a historical perspective is key. Few are better poised to offer one than Andy Kim.